Chapter 4The Dice Game I Could Never Win

He called almost immediately.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing."

"Your tone is icy. Don't tell me it's nothing."

I stared at the half-packed duffel bag on the floor.

"Julian, I'm not going to Miami."

Silence heavy on the line for a few seconds.

"Here we go again."

"I'm not throwing a tantrum this time."

"Are you still hung up on what happened at the gala? I already told you there will be other opportunities."

"What if I insist on going to Aspen?"

He let out a long sigh.

"I'll take you there another time, alright? But we can't change the Miami trip now. Chloe has been looking forward to this for weeks."

"You'll take me to Aspen?"

"Someday."

I was tired of hearing that word.

"Fine."

"That's more like it. Wait for me to get back and we'll talk. Don't do anything reckless on your own."

After hanging up, I saved the screenshot of my plane ticket to Aspen and forwarded the relocation confirmation to my personal email.

Julian promised he would take me to Aspen.

What he didn't realize was that I wasn't going there for a vacation.

I was moving there for good.

* * *

At four-thirty in the morning on the first day of the holiday, Julian’s phone rang.

He glanced at the screen and sat up straight.

I was awake too, but I didn't move.

"Chloe, don't panic. I'm on my way," he said into the phone, stepping into his pants.

I sat up in bed. "Weren't we supposed to leave at six-thirty?"

"She has a migraine, and her luggage is too heavy for her to bring downstairs alone. She can't get an Uber this early either."

"Tell her to contact the shuttle service."

"It's too late for that now."

He grabbed his car keys and hurried to the front door, pausing to look back at me.

"Go to the airport first and wait for me in the lounge. As soon as I pick her up, I'll head straight there."

I looked at him. "You're picking her up first?"

"It's just a quick detour. I'll be fast."

"She lives on the south side of town. The airport is on the north side."

Julian kept his hand on the doorknob. "Please don't start calculating route distances right now."

I didn't say another word.

He walked back over, kissed my forehead, and straightened my collar.

"Be good. Don't forget to eat breakfast. Once we land, I'll take you to that nice seafood place you like, consider it my apology."

On our very first trip together, when my blood sugar dropped, he carried me on his back through the entire station.

Ever since then, he always made sure to pack candy whenever we went out.

But this time, he simply left me with an "apology" and told me to go to the airport alone.

"Julian."

He had already pulled the door open. "Yeah?"

I wanted to ask him that if Chloe and I both needed him today, would he always choose her first?

The words reached the tip of my tongue, but I swallowed them back down.

"Drive carefully."

He smiled. "Text me when you get to the airport."

The door clicked shut, restoring quiet to the apartment.

* * *

I picked up my black duffel bag and walked into the entryway.

The other suitcase, packed with things for Miami, was still sitting by the door, a bottle of pink sunscreen peeking out from the top zipper.

I didn't take a single thing that belonged to him.

I set my spare house key on the shoe rack.

Right beside the key was a small velvet box containing the ring I had planned to give him while setting our wedding date during this trip.

I snapped the box shut and pushed it next to the key.

Taking one last look at the apartment where I had lived for three years, I turned off the living room lights and walked downstairs with my bag.

At five-forty-five, I slid into the back seat of a taxi bound for the airport.

At five-fifty-eight, a text from Julian came through.

[Got her. Heading over now.]

I didn't reply.

At seven o'clock sharp, the plane took off.

Clouds spread out across the window view.

I switched off my phone and didn't wait for his next message.